Homecoming
by Just-call-me-Joe
Summary: A second generation strory. Returning to DC through the eyes of Josh and Donna's daughter
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer:- I own none of the "West Wing" characters but Rosie, Jake, Noah, Helena and any other assorted kiddies are mine (though I'm almost certain I couldn't sue you if you chose to use them but it would nice of you to ask if you would like to use them)  
  
Information: - Sorry in advance for any bits of the American school system that I get wrong, I am but a poor English girl. As ever feedback is gladly accepted!  
  
Timeline: - I think I'm going for around 2022 but this may be inconsistent so don't hold it against me  
  
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Homecoming  
  
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Washington DC. Local time is 7:30am and the weather is set for pleasant 25 degrees Celsius today and a beautiful Labour Day weekend. On behalf of United Airlines I would like to thank you for choosing to fly with us today and wish you a pleasant stay here in Washington or a safe onward journey."  
  
"Rosie Honey, come on it's time to wake up. We're here."  
  
Ugh! I groaned as I was woken form my light sleep by the crackly distant voice of the captain and the closer, far more real voice of my father. I opened one eye and peered at my father who was sitting next. He had the same brown curly hair, kindly brown eyes and "don't you want to vote for me?" smile that he'd always had but for some reason he seemed older than he had done when we left London. More grey hairs, more wrinkles around that award winning smile of his and those tell-tale glasses that he'd had for about a month.  
  
"Do I have to get up? Can't you just carry me?" I whined as he started to get up and open the overhead luggage locker.  
  
"Not unless you want to go right on back to London!" my older brother Noah cracked as he moved slowly past me towards the exit.  
  
I love Noah almost more than anyone else in the world, and definitely more than my other brother (also Noah's twin) Jake, but sometimes he was completely clueless. Right now going back to London seemed like the best thing in the world to me.  
  
I guess it's time to fill you in on a little family history. I'm Rosie Lyman youngest child of former deputy chief of staff to President Bartlett Josh Lyman and his former assistant Donna Moss (now of course Lyman).  
  
I have two brother's Jake and Noah who are twins and I am the reigning public speaking champion of the Kensington American High school London but someone else will win my crown this year because I won't be there. I'll be in America.  
  
We moved to England when I was two and my brothers were five because my father was offered a place as a professor of Politics at Kings College London. My mother decided it was ok to move as he was offered the position just before Noah and Jake weren't due to start to Kindergarten until the following fall so they could start school in England so we've always been educated in England. Although we've gone to American schools in London and have American parents we've always felt partly English but me more so than my brothers as I don't remember living in Washington.  
  
Ok I do remember one thing. I remember sitting on the knee of my father's best friend Sam Seaborn with his daughter Helena who was exactly the same age as me on the other knee whilst he read us "the Cat in the Hat" but that is probably because we see them every summer as we have spent every summer since we left with them at my families summer house in Martha's Vineyard.  
  
Even though we only e-mailed during the school year Helena is still one of my closest friends but we are pretty different and I didn't know how our friendship was going to stand up to going to school together every day. Besides that I was quite cross with her family as her dad was the reason that we had to come back to Washington in the first place.  
  
After countless terms as a congressman for California he had decided to run for president and had asked my dad to run his campaign and, if he got in, to be his chief of staff. My dad had decided months previously that he was fed up of just talking about politics and wanted to get back in and get his hands dirty again so he didn't need asking twice and it was decided that the Lyman family were going back.  
  
I'd protested, asked to be able to stay with friends, said I'd go to boarding school. I tried everything to try and stay in England but their minds were made up. The whole family were going back to America and there was nothing I could do to stop it so I had better just get used to it.  
  
I seemed to float through the airport as we made our way through customs and passport control and collected our large amounts of luggage. I wanted to go to sleep and wake up back in my shoe-box sized bedroom in our apartment back in London.  
  
It didn't feel real until we got through to the other side and saw Sam waiting for us on the other side of the barrier. I hadn't seen Sam for about a year as we hadn't been to the Vineyard this year what with moving and all. I was shocked how much older he looked although I guessed my dad would probably look the same to Helena and her older brother Max as they hadn't seen him for as long.  
  
Sam enveloped me in a hug as soon as I got round the other side and said "Hiya Kiddo! How are you?"  
  
"Good thanks" I stammered in reply not sure how to take this at 8:15am  
  
"Listen, Helena's really sorry she can't be here because she was at a party last night and spent the night with a friend but she'll call round tomorrow morning so that you guys can walk to school together."  
  
Sam greeted everyone else just as effusively then rushed us out to his car. I gazed unenthusiastically out of the window at the city that I didn't recognise as we crawled through the rush hour traffic towards our house.  
  
We finally pulled up in front of a large house that I didn't recognise and my dad smiled and said "Here we are: Home sweet home". I stared out at the large dark house and all I could think was "this may be my house but it will never be my home".  
  
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I'd like to know what you guys think so e-mail me at cj412@hotmail.com And subject it homecoming 


	2. Changing faces

Homecoming ch.2  
  
The first thing I felt when I woke up the next morning was a tight knot of fear in my stomach. At first I didn't know why then I opened my eyes and remembered: today was my first day at my school.  
  
The feeling wouldn't go away as I finally dragged myself out of bed and got into the shower however after I finished my shower and got back to my room I was presented with another challenge: what to wear and as I stared into my wardrobe I hadn't got a clue.  
  
In London my dress sense had always been considered kind of edgy but cool but from the little bits I'd seen yesterday I had a feeling that what my friends back in London and I considered cool wasn't given as fashionable here at all. I finally decided on a long black skirt with a dark red t-shirt and a crocheted black cardigan which I teamed with my favourite black combat boots.  
  
Once I'd plaited my thick dark curly hair into two plaits and applied a little eyeliner and mascara I threw a lip gloss into my bag which I'd packed the night before and headed downstairs for breakfast.  
  
"Good morning sweetheart" my mum said as I entered the kitchen  
  
"Mornin' mum" I replied as I kissed her on the cheek and shoved a piece of bread in to the toaster.  
  
As I sat down next to Noah to butter my toast and pour myself a mug of coffee my dad stormed into the kitchen brandishing the newspaper.  
  
"Do you know what this is? Do you know what this is?" he ranted as he slammed the newspaper down in front of my mum  
  
"No honey but I'm sure you're going to tell me" she replied  
  
"This" he said pointing furiously at the front page "is republicanism run amok!" He announced more to himself than anyone else. "Good morning family" he said as he plonked down into his seat at the head of the table.  
  
"Mornin' dad" Noah and I mumbled trying to stifle our laughter as this was so typical of our dad.  
  
"Mom" We all grimaced as Jake's familiar whine entered the room. "I can't find my shades anywhere!"  
  
"Maybe they're up your ass 'cause your head spends enough time there" Noah quipped before my dad who clapped him round the back of his head with his newspaper.  
  
"Noah that's enough!" My mum admonished before turning back to Jake "Now honey just sit down and eat your breakfast and we'll find them afterwards ok?"  
  
"Fine" he grumbled as he sat down and gave Noah and I an evil glare  
  
My mum finally sat down as well and we all ate in silence. I couldn't help looking round the table and noticing what a funny family group we all made. My brother Noah and I both had our father's dark colouring and thick curly hair.  
  
I loved Noah more than anyone else in the world because he took no shit and didn't care what other people thought about him but was still nice at the same time. At our previous school he had never been as popular as Jake but very few people had a problem with him.  
  
Jake was completely different. He had my mum's pale colouring with slightly helped blonde hair that hung in curtains around his baby blue eyes. He had real pretty boy looks and had played for the school soccer team at our old school. He had been on the popularity A list since freshman year and here as a senior he intended to rule the roost popularity wise.  
  
Then I looked at my parents. Sometimes I didn't know how they'd ever got together. They seemed so different.  
  
When I was younger my dad had always been cuddly old Daddy to me. Because he was a college professor he'd always been at home more than mum who was a senior assistant to the American ambassador in England. He'd always been on hand whatever the problem was. He was always the one to pick Jake up from Soccer practice and me from ballet. My Nana Lyman called him a house husband but I'd always said he wasn't because you couldn't work to do that and he always worked hard he was just always there. Also as his only little girl I'd been in a special position cherished position in the family and he'd always spoilt me rotten.  
  
My mum on the other hand had never been such a pushover. She did an important job and although she'd never once missed a soccer match or a ballet recital or ducked out of a single family commitment she'd never been full in there like Dad had but now she'd decided that enough was enough and she was going to be a proper mum. I know what you're thinking "all well and good now we're 15 and 17 but better late than never was what we always said.  
  
I was snapped back to real life by the sound of the doorbell ringing. I made my way to the door and after negotiating three different locks finally managed to open it but boy did I get a shock when I saw the person who was there.  
  
It was Helena but. different. I knew it had only been just over a year since I last saw her but I hadn't expected her to change so much.  
  
I remembered her as a small slightly chubby girl with mousy brown hair. This was entirely different.  
  
She was now slightly taller and quite a bit thinner with blonde hair almost exactly the same colour as Jake's (Herbal Essences Golden Vanilla), swept back off her face and held back with sunglasses. She was wearing what Noah would call a strategically planned sun dress that I would say was more suited to the beach than school with Sketchers and a Jansport backpack.  
  
"Ohmigod! I can't believe you're really here!!"  
  
"Yeah well I am" I said trying to get used to this new more effusive version of Helena  
  
"Let me just get my bag from the kitchen and we can go" I said beating a hasty retreat.  
  
By the time I'd gone back to the kitchen picked up my patchwork shoulder bag, kissed my mum goodbye and got back to the front door Jake was there. He was wearing his chinos and blue shirt ever so stylishly with cool trainers and his sunglasses which he'd finally managed to locate in with the kitchen things pushed up on his head and I couldn't help thinking that together they looked rather like Barbie and Ken.  
  
"Guys we should probably get going" I said. I didn't really want to but Helena had started furiously batting her eyelashes and if Jake leaned anymore against the porch frame it would probably collapse.  
  
The flirting didn't let off as we started towards school.  
  
This was going to be a very long day. 


End file.
